As noted by numerous well-known golfers and golf writers, the biggest change in the game of golf over the past few years has been "playing by yardage." While golfers of the past had to rely on approximation of yardage along with the "feel" for the correct yardage, today's golfer is helped along by yardage guides either placed on the courses or in yardage books furnished to the golfer prior to beginning the round. Playing by yardage has increased the ease of selecting the proper club for a given shot and has made the game more enjoyable for a large majority of players.
Unfortunately, most courses measure yardage from a given point on the course, say a tree or sprinkler head, as computed to the center of the putting green. Given that many courses, particularly modern ones, are designed with relatively large greens to minimize wear, the yardage tends to become distorted if the hole is located far from the exact center of the green. This distortion can actually harm the average golfer and can cause him to select an improper club, thus defeating the purpose of the yardage markers.
Recently, many golf courses have placed indicators on the flagstick to assist the golfer in determining the location of the hole relative to the center of the putting green. These indicators currently take on two forms, namely a second, smaller flag, or a plastic ball secured to the flagstick. Assuming the flagstick is visible to the golfer from the fairway, the position of the hole is readily ascertained by noting the position of the indicator.